The Polio Vaccine

What is Polio?

An infectious disease, Polio is caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1955, Polio was very common and caused severe illness in thousands of people each year in the U.S. A majority of people who are infected with this virus have no symptoms however less then 1% develop paralysis that could result in a permanent disability.

Who should get the vaccine?

There are two different types of vaccine that helps protect you against polio: Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). Most people should get polio vaccine when they are children. Children get 4 doses of IPV, at these ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and booster dose at 4-6 years. OPV has not been used in the United States since 2000 but is still used in many parts of the world.